Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 22, 2021

CBS/Paramount brings 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' to the UHD format with a new 2160p/Dolby Vision video presentation; the studio has chosen to repurpose the existing Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. All of the supplements carry over from the 2016 Blu-ray on the included Blu-ray disc, which appears to be identical to the 2016 issue (minus a menu layout change). Note that this release includes two cuts of the film: Theatrical Version (1:53:03) and Director's Cut (1:56:31). At time of writing, this UHD is only available as part of a four film UHD bundle with 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture,' 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,' and 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.'

The director's cut largely expands on the character of Peter Preston, a wet-behind-the-ears but disciplined and committed trainee who was stationed in engineering alongside his uncle, Montgomery Scott. The key added scenes further build the character during an exchange with Admiral Kirk during ship's inspection and, later, an extended scene following Preston's death in sickbay.

The movie as a whole is powerful and resonates deeply, even more so over the years and with maturity gained both with the crude passage of time and by the accumulation of finer life experiences. Star Trek II is a classic, and arguably, outside of Star Trek fans, a grossly under appreciated one at that. The film is a carefully structured and lyrically penned masterpiece of deep thematic relevance that comments not simply on the characters and the Star Trek universe but also the greater non-malleable human condition, relevant in any century. The movie is shaped, shot, and presented with incredible clarity and relatable realism in its dramatic structure, all the while constructed around an extraordinarily entertaining movie experience, cemented by the late James Horner's remarkable universe-shaping and theme-defining score.

For more thoughts on the film, please click here

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the remastered 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Paramount brings Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to the UHD format with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation. The UHD's superiority (compared to the 2016 remastered Blu-ray, which Paramount has concurrently re-released in new packaging) ​is in evidence even as the film begins, with the blue titles appearing over the starfield. The blue letters are brighter, more vivid, fuller, more satisfying, playing against stars which appear more brightly white and black space that has the look of more intensely deep and absorbing true black. It's a terrific opening that portends great things for the image to come. The UHD is significantly brighter than the remastered Blu-ray. The Dolby Vision grading brings a new level of pop and sophistication to the palette. Look at the first truly well-lit scene in the movie when Spock and Kirk discuss A Tale of Two Cities at the 8:30 mark. Creamy white accents on the uniforms stand out, the main red appointments dazzle with newfound intensity and boldness, and the image is, overall, much brighter. Skin tones are likewise heathier (even if Spock still looks a little gray). That's the story with the Dolby Vision grading throughout: superior white balance and black level depth, punchier (yet still faithful) primaries, and an overall brightness increase without altering the film's dramatic tone.

The 2160p resolution gains may not rate as "substantial" but they are "significant." The overall increase to clarity, grain management, and core definition enhances the movie's visuals, whether looking at the aging faces on the Enterprise bridge or the ragtag costumes worn by Khan and his crew on the planet and later aboard Reliant. The ship models look terrific from the outside, revealing all of the fine point detail and definition and the painstaking "reality" with which they were created. The movie is home to some scattered softer shots, some with more pronounced grit and grain, and so on, so the visual experience is a bit on the uneven side by the picture's inherent qualities. But Paramount's UHD certainly brings the most out of it. The native 4K resolution brings the movie to life with an exacting quality that makes it the absolute best it has ever looked for home consumption.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture recycles the existing Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack from the 2009 and 2016 Blu-rays. Please click here for a full review. Do note that I encountered a significant lip sync issue at the 29-minute mark when Kirk is speaking with Preston about the engine room.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan contains two commentary tracks on the UHD disc and the full suite of extras on the included Blu-ray. Please click here for full coverage.

UHD:

• Audio Commentary: Director Nicholas Meyer.
• Audio Commentary: Director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto (Theatrical Version).

Blu-ray:

• Audio Commentary: Director Nicholas Meyer.
• Audio Commentary: Director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto (Theatrical Version).
• Text Commentary: Michael and Denise Okuda (Director's Cut).
• Library Computer (Theatrical Version)
• The Genesis Effect: Engineering The Wrath of Khan
• Production
  
  
  • Captain's Log
  • Designing Khan
  • Original Interviews with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and Ricardo Montalban
  • Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • James Horner: Composing Genesis
• The Star Trek Universe
  
  
  • Collecting Star Trek's Movie Relics
  • A Novel Approach
  • Starfleet Academy SciSec Brief 002: Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI
• Farewell: A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban
• Storyboards
• Theatrical Trailer

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paramount's new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD of Star Trek II delights. The picture quality may not be "perfect" because the source is "imperfect" but it's easily the finest the film has ever looked in the home, and not just that, but it's very true to the source for grain management, textural finesse, color authenticity, and a lack of compression issues. While audio and supplements remain unchanged from the 2016 issue, this release still comes very highly recommended.